Raindrops
by Twizzy-x
Summary: "I guess you never really know what you have until it's gone..." Ferriswheelshipping, Rebelshipping, Twinleafshipping, &extra couples
1. In the Rain

**Raindrops**

**Chapter One**

**In the Rain**

_Do you love me, or do you not?_

_You told me once but I forgot._

A petite brunette sat comfortably on her Whimsicott designed beanbag, her fingers playing with the lose strands of her carpet. On the other hand, her dark-haired childhood friend, Cheren, stood by the window, mumbling to himself about the rain and a _certain_ blonde who just _had_ to be late that day.

"That idiot," Cheren grumbled, tapping his foot impatiently and running his hand through his dark blue hair. "It's bad enough it's raining. Does she really have to be late all the time?"

The brunette laughed, leaning backwards so that her brown hair just barely touched the carpet. "You can't blame her," She pointed out, "Her hair gets all messy on rainy days."

Cheren snorted, not averting his gaze; instead staring out the window, even though you could barely see anything, with the rain pouring down. "That's why they invented umbrellas, Touko."

Touko raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Oh, really? Cheren, we've been friends since we were in diapers-" Cheren coughed loudly into his fist, as a warning not to go anymore into detail about their childhood. But she ignored him, continuing. "-And you still don't know that the _only_ umbrella Bianca owns is that red Tepig one, when she got when she was _five_?"

Cheren remained aloof, shoving his hands into his pockets to keep them warm. The heat today had been unfortunately shut down by Touko's mother. Her mother had justified herself by stating that today was not as chilly as the others, therefore saving money by shutting the heat off.

Touko had tried to convince her to flip it back on, coming up with an excuse on the spot, saying that Cheren, being the sensitive nerd he was, was going to freeze up and get sick.

Of course, Cheren didn't play along, protesting that he was _definitely not_ going to get sick. Well, that ruined Touko's plan immediately, making her mom shoot the 'You'd-better-listen-to-me-young-lady face', and return to washing the dishes.

Now they were stuck in a chilly room, and Cheren's action of shoving-the-hands-into-pockets made Touko shoot up, a triumph smirk spreading across her face. "Aha! You _are_ cold!"

Immediately Cheren regretted what he did, flushing and ripping his hands out of his pockets. "Am not!" he snapped, whipping around to meet Touko's face, inches away from his.

Playfully, she grabbed him by the nose with her thumb and index, pinching hard enough to make him yelp. "Are…too!" She said in a sing-song voice, skipping over to her bed and plopping down, belly first.

Cheren resisted the urge run over and pinch her back for revenge, but he'd knew too well that she'd probably sneak another pinch later when he least suspected it.

As he debated over the pointless topic, the door bell rang. Touko heard her mother's loud steps from downstairs, as she rushed to dry her hands to open the door.

Not even seconds later, her quiet home became a mad house. Bianca's voice literally bounced off the creamy walls, making her sound very loud.

In a matter of seconds, she heard a knocking on the door; that snapped Cheren out of his thoughts.

"Finally!" He breathed walking across the room, turning the knob and letting Bianca burst in, holding a purple gift box.

"Hey guys! Were you waiting long?" she chattered excitedly, placing the box down on Touko's bed and rushing over to give Touko a quick one-armed hug.

"We've been waiting since forever." Cheren informed her nonchalantly, walking up to the two girls. Bianca stuck her tongue out at him, but he ignored her and eyed the gift box. "Is this what I think it is?"

A wide smile quickly spread over her face, and she lifted the top of the box, revealing three red and white Pokѐballs, each tagged with a small sticky note, naming the starter Pokѐmon held within the capsules. "Totally," She said, eyes brimming with happiness. "I, like, never thought this day would come!"

Cheren snorted, crossing his arms. "I do believe that we _age_, Bianca, and we do get our Pokѐmon when we're sixteen." Bianca easily waved him off with, "Whatever you say," and lifted the middle capsule into her hands, eyes moving across the sticky note. "Tepig! I want Tepig!" She cried out loud.

Touko giggled at Bianca's immatureness, reaching for the Pokѐball that was marked with 'Oshawott'. "I'll take this one then." Then she stole a glance at Cheren, smirking.

He rolled his eyes at her, snatching the third, and last, capsule that held Snivy, into his hand. "I guess I have no choice then," he mumbled, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, hey!" Bianca piped up, skipping over to one end of Touko's bedroom. "Lets have a battle, see who's stronger?"

Touko jumped from her bed enthusiastically holding out her new Pokѐball, challengingly. "You're on."

"Hey, you can't just battle here; you'll mess up the whole place!" Cheren protested, holding his arm out between them. Bianca pouted, striking a finger at him. "But if we battle, outside, Tepig will surely get weakened; it iis/i raining! And Oshawott would get the advantage!"

"Then you'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"No way! We battle _now_!"

* * *

><p><strong>Heheh... I'll update again later! I already have three chapters up on DeviantArt, just check out my profile: reillysparksx3. xD Haha.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter~**

**Review please! That'll make me happy... xD**


	2. It's a long way to go

**Raindrops**

**Chapter Two**

**It's a long way to go**

_Do you love me, or do you not?_

_You told me once, but I forgot._

"I'm really sorry for the mess, Mrs. White." Cheren apologized, shaking his head. "I tried to tell Bianca that it wasn't a good idea…" Hearing her name, Bianca shot up, shoving Cheren to the side. "Don't try to blame this on me! You battled Touko too!" She frowned, shooting a green glare at him.

"And lost," Touko added proudly, shooting Cheren a smug smile. He rolled his eyes at her, but said nothing and turned back to her mother. "As I was saying, before I was _rudely_ interrupted by _someone_…"

Bianca punched his arm, making him yelp in pain and stagger backwards. "Shut up!" She cried, taking Cheren's place in front of Touko's mom. She smiled sweetly at her as if nothing had happened. "As he was saying," she continued, "We're very sorry about messing up Touko's room. I mean, we could help clean it up…"

Touko snorted from the dining table, "I think _I'm_ the one you should be apologizing to," she said wryly, taking a small sip from her glass.

Her mother laughed easily, "Ha ha, oh, that's alright. I'll clean it up. You kids can go along with your little adventure." Bianca smiled at Mrs. White's consideration, thanking her quickly before skipping out the door, dragging Cheren behind.

"We'll meet you at the lab when you're ready," Cheren said curtly, closing the door behind him.

As soon as they left, her mother rushed upstairs, as if looking for something. "Mom?" Touko wondered, standing from her seat. As always, her mother didn't reply, too deep in thought. Touko, who was definitely used to this, sat patiently back down.

As quickly as she had left, she came back holding a small device in her hand. "Here you are, honey. It's an Xtransceiver."

The brunette eyed the device, not hesitating to take it into her own hands. Her mother smiled, taking a seat next to her daughter. "You can use this to call me, if you like. While you're gone, I'm sure you know that I'll miss you."

"Mom, you're embarrassing me…" Touko mumbled, leaning back into the chair and shielding her face from her mother's view. Her mother laughed again, walking to the kitchen counter and grabbing a pink bag. Touko knew right away what it was for.

"Honey, I packed everything you'll need-" she said, placing it down on the table in front of Touko. She rummaged through the bad, naming each and every single thing she packed.

"Potions, extra clothes-"

Hearing that, Touko shot up. "Mom, are you serious? Clothes? No wonder this bag looks huge!" She exclaimed, shoving her hands and ripping out undergarments and tank tops. "I don't need this, mom."

Her mother stiffened by her side. "But won't you need some clothes to change into? I mean, you will get dirty during you adventure, honey."

Touko snorted. After all these years, her mom _still_ didn't know that she was born a tomboy? "Mom, you know I don't care if I get a little dirty, right? I can always shower whenever I stop by Pokѐmon Center."

"But won't it reflect badly on you as a trainer?" Her mother asked, placing a hand on the table and one on her mouth.

Touko's mother was always overprotective of her, ever since dad had been stabbed to death while he was away in Hoenn. He was planning to hike over Forina, a cavernous valley in central Hoenn filled with rare Pokѐmon. Ever since Touko was little, he'd tell her stories of Jirachi sleeping beneath the valley, and he'd hoped to catch it. Rumors said that it was probably Team Magma or Aqua who had killed him, but it wasn't like Touko knew those criminals enough to blame them.

At night, whenever Touko had tried to grasp memories of her father singing her to sleep; she'd only catch fragments of his eyes or mouth. She could hardly remember how he'd looked like before he left.

After she became sixteen and finally had something to look forward to, she'd promised herself to try and forget about her father. It wasn't like she had wanted to, but memories and photos of him in the living room always made her tear up.

"Mom," Touko rolled her eyes, closing the bag tightly. "It won't. Who _doesn't_ get a little dirty on an adventure? Don't worry, I'll be totally fine! I have Cheren and Bianca with me too."

While her mother still look unconvinced, Touko slumped the bag over her shoulder, smiling confidently. "See you, mom." She called over her shoulder as she out the doorway. "I love you!"

"Have fun, and be careful!" He mother murmured, waving goodbye as the door shut behind Touko.

Once outside, free from the humid air of her house, she inhaled deeply, the cool air filling her nostrils. Taking a peek up at the sky, Touko saw that most of the dark storm clouds had retreated, revealing small dots of sunlight on the concrete. It must've been raining hard, seeing puddles that she stepped in here and there, soaking her combat boots a little.

Standing on her toes, she searched for Professor Juniper's lab, which could be seen a short while from her house. Although she could barely see Cheren, it was obvious to her that Bianca was not with him. _I'd better go check on her…_

At first, it was only Touko and Cheren who were childhood friends. Cheren lived a bit closer to the lab, giving him opportunities to help out the Professor and learn a lot about Pokѐmon at his young age. While Touko lived further away, they still got together to play around in Touko's backyard, and even explore the vacant house next door. It had been like that for almost five years, the floor boards literally cracking underneath Touko's feet when they were little.

When Touko and Cheren became six, another family had moved into the vacant house. She had scrunched up her nose, wondering why _anyone_ would want to buy a house like that. But in a few weeks, after major construction, the house was well painted, a light lime green roof with creamy walls and a wooden porch.

The day after that, there was a knock on the door. When Touko opened it, she found a short chubby girl with bouncy blonde hair, smiling widely. "Hi!" She had easily chirped, extending a hand out to Touko. "My name is Bianca! This place is really pretty, and we can even see the ocean out there! Plus, there was tons of Pidove over there, and they all flew away when I got near but then don't all Pokѐmon do that? Anyways-"

Touko had raised a hand in front of Bianca, telling her to stop. "I know. You're that girl from next door, right? I'm Touko."

Bianca's eyes had widened in awe, before she started tearing up. "W-wha…No one has ever done that to me they always call me stupid and wierd or something-"

Again Touko raised a hand to stop her. "Hey, what're you doing? Quit cryin'. Lemme go get Cheren, okay? Want to play with us?"

Bianca quickly wiped her tears away, trying to grin. "Sure."

* * *

><p>Touko took a deep breath before knocking on the door. "Bianca?" She said softly, listening for a reply. The door slowly creaked open, revealing a flushed face, tears rolling down. "Bianca?" Touko repeated, taking a step forward to comfort her. "Was it your dad?"<p>

Bianca sniffled, slamming the door behind her and running over to Touko. "Y-yeah. I'm fine now. D-don't worry."

Touko already knew she was lying, but didn't press onto the subject anymore, grabbing her hand. "Yeah. I know. Let's just get to Cheren, okay?"

Again Bianca sniffled softly, nodded, and looked down until her hair hung in front of her face.

_It's a long way to go, you know._

* * *

><p><strong>Huh...I'm a newbie on ...so can anyone tell me how to get this story to appear on my profile page? TT^TT I need serious help xDD<strong>

**Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter~ :3**

**~BlackRabbit**


	3. A glimpse of Green

**Raindrops**

**Chapter Three**

**A glimpse of Green**

_Do you love me, or do you not?_

_You told me once but I forgot._

"Cheren!" Touko called, and hearing his name he looked up just in time to see Touko running up the road towards him, with Bianca right behind her. They stopped in front of him, out of breath. "Oh, thank Arceus. Where the heck were you-" He started harshly, but when he caught a glimpse of Bianca's tear-streaked face that she had failed miserably to hide, he stopped, letting his gaze soften. "Bianca, are you-"

"I'm fine," she said automatically, rubbing her eyes in attempt to actually prove that she was. Her sniffles didn't help. Cheren glanced over a Touko, hoping she would explain things. But Touko wasn't even looking at him, instead patting Bianca's shoulder comfortingly, whispering, "It's okay, it's okay."

Cheren, who was almost ready for anything, always packed a first aid kit, for both Pokѐmon and humans, and along with tissues, berries, extra glasses- You could go on forever. It was why Cheren's bag was always huge. He stuck his hand into it, rummaging until he found his tissue pack. "Here," He mumbled, peeling the tape that held it closed, pulling a small tissue out and handing it to Bianca.

She took it quickly, not hesitating, wiping her puffy eyes and blowing her nose. Touko smiled proudly at Cheren, as if it was rare that he would actually worry about Bianca. But really, it wasn't. Whenever Touko was away with her mother, and Bianca had a break down, it was always Cheren who had comforted her, telling her a story that set her to sleep. But after they had become ten, Bianca had protested that stories were too childish for her. She had told him, red-faced, that he should hug her until she stopped crying.

And Cheren, of course, who had been totally oblivious to her feelings toward him, objected, saying it wasn't the kind of thing he would do. He totally broke her heart, making her cry for weeks, and she'd even screamed she wouldn't talk to him anymore. You could tell she didn't really mean it.

* * *

><p>"Oh, hi, Touko, Bianca, Cheren!" Professor Juniper chirped, standing up from where she had crouched. She'd been stacking up papers of research, her bun hanging loosely; letting strands of hair stick out here and there.<p>

"Hi!" Bianca, who had finally recovered, squeaked excitedly, her hair bouncing behind her. Juniper smiled at her enthusiasm, reaching over to her desk for three mechanical devices. "Guess what these are?" she queried them, shaking them in the air.

Cheren pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose, smirking. "Are you kidding? Those are Pokѐdexes, right?" Bianca's green eyes widened in awe and she glanced at Cheren.

"Pokѐdex? What's that?" She asked dumbly. Cheren rolled his eyes at her, "I didn't expect someone like _you_ to know," he said nonchalantly, earning another punch from Bianca. "The Pokédex was created by Professor Oak as an invaluable tool to a Trainer in the Pokémon world. It gives information about all Pokémon in the world that are contained in its database, although it differs in how it acquires and presents information over the different medias. However, they are also only given to a few Trainers at a time, generally to the ones that are felt to have exceptional potential and skill. There are different types of Pokédexes and each Pokédex is special to a specific region. Pokédex entries are typically only two- or three-sentence bits of information about the Pokémon referred to. In some events it gives background information on the habitat or activities of this Pokémon in the wild; at other times it gives other bits of information on the Pokémon's history or anatomy. The information included is important info on the Pokémon, height, weight, cry, other forms, a few sentences about the Pokémon, and a picture of the Pokémon." He ranted, taking a much needed breath.

Bianca took a step back in surprised, her jaw hanging. "I didn't get _any_ of that," she gaped, grasping onto her bag tightly. Cheren smirked smugly. "Didn't think you would," he told her, glancing at Touko. "Did you-?"

Touko stared at him. "Uh, right…Pokédex…_right_." She confirmed to herself, nodding slightly at Cheren. He face palmed, rolling his eyes, grumbling sarcastically, "Girls."

Professor Juniper laughed, handing each their own Pokédexes; Touko's and Bianca's pink, while Cheren's was red. "As Cheren had told you before, these are for gathering information about Pokémon around the Unova Region," She informed them, walking back to her desk, her shoes clacking behind her. "And can you guess what I want you three to do for me?"

"What?" Bianca and Touko asked in unison, while Cheren sighed. "You want us to complete it and help with your research, right?"

Professor Juniper blinked in surprise, smiling slightly at Cheren's intelligence. "That's right, Cheren. How did you know? I've never even told you-" Cheren shrugged, shoving his Pokédex into his pack. "I know a lot of things," he said, cutting her off, as Bianca glared at him for showing-off, or at least that's what _she_ called it.

"Professor, don't we get to nickname our Pokémon now?" Touko asked, hoping for a change in subject as Cheren shot the glare back. "Of course!" Professor Juniper chimed, smiling. "Send them out."

They happily reached for their Pokéballs, sending out their starters. Touko lifted Oshawott into her arms, grinning. "I've already thought of a name," she told Juniper. "Gemni!"

Bianca clapped, giggling. "Oh, cool! Um, um, well, Tepig's name is gonna be Titan!" She cried out, lifting Titan into the air, making him snort fumes with happiness. Cheren had placed Snivy onto the lab table, and he'd lowered himself so that he was equal with Snivy. "Hm, well," Cheren mused, placing his hand on his chin. "His name is Cosmo, like the flower."

Bianca snorted rolling her eyes. "Whatever," she said. Professor Juniper laughed again, waving her hand dismissively in the air. "Go!" She encouraged them, placing five Pokéballs into each of their hands. "To your adventure!"

"Bye!" Bianca waved, pulling Touko and Cheren outside. There, Touko's mom was waiting, carrying maps in her arms, out of breath. "Oh, my, I almost forgot!" she said, giving a map to Cheren and then to Bianca. "Your maps. Make sure you don't get lost, okay?"

"Thanks mom," Touko said, reaching for her own map. Bianca nodded, while Cheren thanked her.

"You three go have fun now," Her mother laughed. "It's what adventure it about!"

"Ready?" Bianca smiled, grasping Touko's hand with her left and Cheren's with her right. "One…two…" she counted. "Three!"

Right then, the three took a step forward, into Route One. Bianca begged them to take the first step together, and finally, Touko and Cheren gave in, letting her drag them outside. Although Cheren hadn't really wanted to do it, he didn't need Bianca to start crying all over again. It would slow down their journey.

"Look," Cheren mumbled, as Bianca took a few steps into the wet grass, looking around curiously for wild Pokémon to appear, like Patrat or Lillipup. The precipitation slid from tips of grass, slightly soaking her while shoes and darkening her orange stockings. Large trees swayed in the wind, rhythmically, shedding bright yellow, orange, and red leaves into the air. "We can't travel together all the time, you know."

Bianca looked up for a second, and it surprised him that she wasn't tearing up. "Oh, I know," Bianca muttered wistfully, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not _that_ stupid." Cheren chuckled softly, before Bianca piped up again, this time on a happier note. "So, before we get to Accumula Town, let's have a contest!"

"Care to explain?" Touko followed Bianca into the grass, her dark boots, still soaked by the puddles, barely changed color in comparison to Bianca's shoes, which were now a light gray. The blonde nodded eagerly. "It's easy! All you have to do is catch the most Pokémon, and you win!"

"Easy, peasy," Cheren shoved his hands into his pockets, looking smug. "I'll win."

"You will not!" Bianca pouted, jabbing her finger at his chest. "Stop bragging!" Touko agreed, crossing her hands over her chest. Cheren snorted. "Who said it was bragging? It's called…the _future_." He said the last words slowly, as if explaining things to a kindergartener, motioning with his hands in the air. Bianca rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right." She retorted sarcastically, as Touko giggled.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Arceus!" Touko growled, pulling her hair in frustration. "<em>Where<em> are all the Pokémon?" Not even minutes after their little contest had started, she hadn't seen a _single_ wild Pokémon appear. Cheren would've said it was probably because the air was a bit humid, after the rain, but right then, Touko couldn't care less. She wanted to catch at least a Lillipup, because those were adorable.

Unfortunately for her, it seemed as though Lillipup didn't like being outside in the sticky air. "I _will not_ give up," She growled, stomping through the grass. Even though she was a 'mature' type of girl, she never put down a challenge, even when Cheren had said that she couldn't eat five Tamato berries without drinking water. She had been a little stupid back then, accepting his challenge bravely and wolfing down the spicy berries in gulps. Not even seconds later, she started crying and begging her mom for water, and she'd lost. Cheren had felt bad, apologizing to her numerous times, until she finally forgave him.

Needless to say, Touko headed towards Accumula in defeat, and when Bianca and Cheren came into view, she slowed her steps, not eager to see them again. Cheren would probably boast that he caught two, and maybe even Bianca had caught a Pokémon too.

"Hey," Touko said sulkily, waving a hand at them. Bianca eyed her for a moment, studying her facial expression. "Are you okay?" Bianca asked, "I mean, didn't you catch any Pokémon?"

"No," Touko confessed, glancing over at Cheren, who heard this, and smirked. "Well," he started, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I caught two, Lillipup and Patrat. But normal types aren't much of a use, since they aren't really effective in battle, especially to ghost types. I'm thinking of leaving them with Professor Juniper."

Bianca held up another Pokéball proudly. "I only caught a Lillipup, but it's still cute!"

"Come on," Touko grumbled, pushing past them. "Let's get to the Pokémon Center, okay?" Bianca nodded, but stayed behind with Cheren as the walked into Accumula. She could hear them whispering to each other. "What's with her?"

"It's because she's mad that she lost," Cheren told her. "No way," Touko snapped, letting them know that they weren't really whispering if she could hear them. "I'm just mad that I couldn't catch a Lillipup."

"Oh, yes, of course," Cheren said sarcastically, walking past her. Touko rolled her eyes. "I'm not as competitive as you," she informed him with a small smile, watching her childhood friend step in front of the sliding doors of the Pokémon center, striding in when the doors slid open. She followed, with Bianca behind her.

"Wow!" Bianca squealed, for the first time seeing the smooth creamy tiles of the center. She waved at Nurse Joy, who returned it with a small smile. Then she ran over to the shop, peeking at the shelves lined with potions and Pokéballs. "Whoa…" she breathed.

"Really, Bianca?" Cheren grumbled, walking to the far left of the center, towards a PC. "Hey, come over here guys. Professor Juniper wanted me to explain this, because she didn't have enough time."

Bianca skipped over, Touko by her side. "What's this?" The brunette asked, motioning with his finger towards the computer. Cheren turned his back on them, turning it on. "This is where we send our Pokémon to rest with Professor Juniper." He informed them, taking two Pokéballs out. "Watch how it works."

Taking one of them, he placed it on the machine beside the PC, pressed a button, and suddenly, the Pokéball vanished, warped to some place else. Bianca was first to speak. "Whoa! That's amazing!" she squeaked, "Where did it go?" Cheren rolled his eyes at her. "Were you not listening? I said to Professor Juniper's lab."

"Right," Touko interjected swiftly, before Bianca could throw another agitated punch at him. "Say, Bianca, why don't you go buy some extra potions? My mom gave me extras, so I'll be alright."

"Okay…" Bianca agreed hesitantly, but walked over to the blue shop anyways, leaving Touko and Cheren alone. Touko turned back to Cheren, pinching him hard on the cheek. "Idiot! Now's not the best time to make fun of her!"

Cheren flinched in pain, "I'm sorry!" he apologized, trying to pull away gently, so his skin wouldn't rip off. Touko sighed, letting him go. "Whatever."

"I'm going to go out, and get some fresh air," Cheren excused himself, rushing to the doors, as Touko sighed again, walking over to where Bianca was chatting to the cashier. "Bianca, I'm going out. See you later?"

"Sure," Bianca agreed, turning back to the man at the counter. "How much do these cost?" she began, but Touko strode out, in time to see a mass of people, gathered around, listening to a certain someone.

_What now?_ she thought, eyeing the crowd for Cheren, in case he knew anything about it. Sure enough, she spotted him, not too far into the crowd so she could reach him.

Jogging up, she asked, "What's going on here?"

"Some idiot's going on about releasing our Pokémon. I don't get it."

Perking her senses, she listened carefully. The man at the top, surrounded by people in blue cloaks, moved back and forth, seemingly saying something over the crowd murmurs.

_"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."_

The crowd, again, burst into whispers, "Liberation? What's that?" as Touko shifted uncomfortably. Who was this man? And what was he doing?

_"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"_

Touko's eyes widened, glancing at Cheren, who was shaking his head. "I can't believe this guy…" she heard him mumble.

_"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"_ The man continued, taking a step forward and raising his voice. Touko could hear soft whispers of agreement, "He could be right…" and "Do they really not enjoy being with us?"

_"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"_ The man pressed, raising his head and revealing a red eye, ominously glowing in the sunlight.

"Are you saying we should release them?" An elderly asked wistfully from the midst of the crowd. "Exactly!" The green-haired man agreed, nodding at each and everyone of them, earning sad murmurs from young children, who had just received their Pokémon today. He walked back, continuing.

_"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."_

Just as they came, they left, leaving the crowd in confusion. Cheren furrowed his brows angrily. "That's so idiotic!" he hissed, throwing his hands into the air. "We don't use Pokémon like that!" Touko nodded in agreement, thinking of pulling Bianca out and telling her what just happened, but as she turned, she bumped against someone.

"Oh, I'm sor-" she started, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of green hair, she shut herself up, staring at the boy who resembled the man so much. Looking down at Touko, he smiled gently.

_"My name is N."_


End file.
